Daily Archives: November 7, 2024

Mayors talk support for villages as Guam looks to tourism recovery

With Guam’s tourism recovery still lagging, talk at the Mayors Council of Guam Thursday turned to how supporting village upkeep, or lack of it, impacts the visitor experience.Discussion ranged from historic sites and selfie-promoting village signs to uncut grass, trash, crime and homelessness.A report from tourism industry insiders released in October flagged a “tourism crisis” with visitor arrivals still less than half of what they were pre-pandemic.Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero made a rare visit to the Guam Visitors Bureau late last month asking for a plan to address the slow tourism recovery, and leadership at GVB and the Guam Economic Development Authority have since traded tense letters on the state of the island economy.“The villages get sucked into that mess,” MCOG President and Piti Mayor Jesse Alig told his fellow mayors.Alig said the council had to ask itself how the villages could help boost the “failing” tourism industry, given the money GEDA and GVB pumped into improving municipalities.MCOG Vice President and Sinajana Mayor Robert Hofmann noted that GVB in recent years has pumped more money into “destination management,” taking care of parks and beaches, cutting grass, and putting up village signs.That kind of work wasn’t done for years, Hofmann said.Members of the business community were now wanting government funding for airline incentives and other programs, but Hofmann said the Mayors Council had to ensure that village-based tourist attractions were “not forgotten” in the mix.“You have historic sites, you have cultural sites, you have value that people go to and want to be a part of,” Hofmann told mayors.Mayors needed to list those down and make a case for their continued support.Alig added that mayors have to think “outside the box” about how GVB, GEDA, and mayors can generate value for both tourists and the villages.Village improvements needed to “trickle down” into the economy, he added.Getting more sports competitions to attract visitors is among options, but Alig also pointed at issues with trash and uncut brush along the main road.“When you’re talking about the bigger picture, that’s part of the bigger picture,” Alig said.Hofmann added that if GEDA was looking to borrow a bond on hotel occupancy taxes to support the visitor industry, “how much of that HOT bond can go to the communities?”

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Improving the experience at Mount Lamlam in the south, or fixing the old Spanish Bridge were two examples.Hågat Vice Mayor Christopher Fejeran said southern villages have attractions for visitors but can’t maintain them alone.“I think a lot of our sites down in the south need to be spruced up. And with our budget, we can’t do that ourselves,” Fejeran said.GVB and GEDA should come down and see what kind of work needed to be done, he added.Humåtak Mayor Johnny Quinata said his village was host to a number of parks popular with military and tourists, where people were now dumping trash, including Sella Bay.“We’re picking up college couches, freezers, people are dumping on our park sites,” Quinata said.They also have to keep vegetation from growing over sites without funding.Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Mayor Louise Rivera pointed at the big issue with stray dogs all along the village, which is now a big problem.At a recent grand opening event, Rivera noted strays in the parking lot following visitors around.Dogs are one of several issues that impact visitors, she added.“The homeless, the criminal activity that’s going on, the murder we just had. You know, there’s all these different things that need to be corrected,” Rivera said.Hofmann said he would be sending out a form to mayors to gather their input on the matter, and formulate talking points as tourism discussions move forward.“These are things that are not going to get solved overnight,” he said.Mayors did have to balance the desire for more visitors against the desire to preserve Guam’s history and keep it friendly to residents, Hofmann noted.“I don’t think the industry should come in and say, I want Sella Bay to have 200 parking slots,” he said.

Traveler asks airlines for ‘more compassion’ toward disabled flyers

When James Davis traveled from his home in Tucson to a family reunion in Pensacola, Florida, via Dallas in July, he only had one major request of American Airlines. “They informed me that my scooter would be available at each turn. I went from Tucson to Dallas and Dallas to Pensacola, and it was supposed to be available in both,” he said. “I depend on my scooter.”  But despite registering his device with the airline in advance and being told he would have access to his scooter during his layover, the mobility device was checked through to Pensacola instead. “I was able to get someone to get me a wheelchair so I could get something to eat, drink, so I could take my medication,” Davis said, but added he was still dependent on airport staff to move him around during the layover and to get him to his next flight.  “I was stuck sitting where I’m at,” he said. On the trip home, from the reunion a few days later, Davis encountered issues with accessing his scooter in Dallas again as it was delayed getting off the plane. He also said he was disappointed that airline staff didn’t offer more assistance as he broke the scooter down to be loaded into the cargo hold. American Airlines acknowledged the incident in a statement to USA TODAY. “We know how important it is to support the independence of customers who use wheelchairs and assistive devices. A member of our team has been in contact with the customer to learn more about his experience and address his concerns,” the statement said. Traveling with mobility devices Flying can be fraught for people who rely on mobility devices. Airlines damage or destroy 10,000-15,000 wheelchairs and other mobility devices every year, according to Department of Transportation data, and those number do not include issues like the lack of proper accommodation that Davis experienced. The DOT recently fined American Airlines $50 million for its mishandling of mobility devices and said investigations into similar issues at other airlines are ongoing.  Accessible travel:Delta Air Lines, DOT update plans for adaptive wheelchair seats on future flightsAmerican said that it has been working hard to improve the services it provides to customers with disabilities, including by rolling out an automated bag tag for mobility devices. The airline also said it has seen a decline in the number of mobility device-related complaints from customers in the past year-plus. Still, Davis said, airlines in general need to work harder at improving in this area. “I would like to see more compassion,” he said. “Even though I didn’t get my scooter in Dallas on my way, I think the thing that bothered me the most was the flight attendant who stood there and watched me struggle (on my trip home).” Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected].

Jordan Showcases Tourism Potential at London’s WTM

Ammon News – The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) marked its presence at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, led by JTB Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat.Joining JTB at the event were key Jordanian tourism stakeholders, including the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, Royal Jordanian Airlines, the Jordan Heritage Revival Company, and 23 tourism offices and hotels from Jordan.In a statement issued Thursday, the JTB highlighted the launch of Jordan’s latest promotional video on the opening day of the exhibition.During a press conference, Arabiyat announced that Jordan had earned a distinguished award from Lonely Planet, and that the “Jordan Trail” had been selected among the world’s top tourism experiences for 2025.Arabiyat also met with Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, to explore collaborative tourism initiatives between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He emphasized the strong ties between the two kingdoms across various sectors and discussed strategies to boost regional tourism.Jordan’s Ambassador in London, Manar Dabbas, underscored that Jordan’s participation in WTM demonstrates its commitment to increasing international visibility and promoting its diverse tourism offerings.Dabbas noted that the partnership with London represents a strategic move to strengthen tourism and investment connections and foster new economic opportunities.The JTB further revealed that Jordan will host three major global tourism events in 2025, focusing on sustainable tourism, investment-driven tourism development, and a wedding planning conference in Aqaba, set to spotlight Jordan as a prime destination for unique tourism experiences.Petra